


Taking the Initiative

by XQueen0fHellx



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26766781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XQueen0fHellx/pseuds/XQueen0fHellx
Summary: While the events in this short story never happened word for word, they scene I narrate is very similar to a game day I remember running long ago. Perhaps you can relate ;)
Kudos: 2





	Taking the Initiative

“Aww hell no!” Tyler said, slamming his head on the table. Tyler and I had been allies in previous games, but now the tables had turned, and I was the Dungeon Master, and ruled the game, naturally becoming his rival.

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. I placed two figures on the map in front of me, and grinned as everyone else moved theirs in decent positions. 

“Be merciful please. He is level 1.” K.C. looked over at me, biting his lip and wondering if I had picked too hard of creatures.

I rolled my eyes and just opened up my book to the stats of the monsters. I wouldn’t make them kill him, not yet at least. 

“Alright, alright, you pissed them off and the manticores land in the courtyard in front of you in defensible positions between you and their nests. Roll for initiative.” I said with a grin, hauling out some dice of my own.

The other people sitting around the cafeteria table, the little gang of 3 groaned, and even my own boyfriend joined in. Distracted Dean, Tactless Tyler, and Keen K.C. I laughed again. “Don’t worry, do you really think I would be that mean?” I teased.

The clatter of plastic on tabletops indicated the dice rolls. I threw a few dice of my own, and wrote down the result. “Everyone tell me your numbers.” I said, pencil in hand ready to jot them down on the page in front of me.

“My druid has an eight.” Tyler replied.

“The cleric has a two while the necromancer has a 17.” K.C. said after mentally calculating extra bonuses.

“Gnome has a one” 

I looked up from recording the numbers, looking up at the new player at the table. I raised an eyebrow. “Your gnome?”

“Yeah, my barbarian. I don’t like his stats, and don’t feel like redoing them for him. Mind killing him off for me?” I could not even remember this player’s name, (Turned out I named him Ditsy Dean) he didn’t stay at the table, and came up with stupid ideas, and I didn’t mind killing off his people. 

I laughed. “That’s too easy.”

My own lizard and assassin got 15s, and the manticores for an 5 and a 10. I frowned, knowing that higher numbers were always better, and my monsters didn’t have the advantage over the players.

“Alright, that means the necromancer is up first!” I announced. 

Dice were rolled, pieces were moved, and attacks were made. Yells of numbers floated around the room, damage, armor classes, and a few people walked by wondering what we were doing. We were too far into the battle to pay them much heed, and their curiosity turned to confusion. I looked up once at them, and held back my giggles. They obviously weren’t gamers.

“You don’t know D&D, you wouldn’t understand.” Tyler said after his turn.

The Dungeon Master from the previous game, Paul, finally came back from his class. The two hours he was gone, I decided to start up my own game, and it was my first experience as a Dungeon Master. I still had to look up a lot in the books, and ask the people who know the game better, but I have never realized how much fun running a game is. But it’s tiring and confusing, and not for the faint of heart. 

“Hey, why did you guys continue my dungeon?” he said, and I looked up at him.

“No, it’s mine. Want to join?” I listen in as K.C. says his necromancer was summoning a ghoul. I grabbed another piece from my bag, and placed it down next to him.

“Really? You mean I actually get a chance to play a character for the first time?” he replied.

There was total silence following that statement. “Wait, are you meaning to tell me you have only had experience in running a game, and not actually playing it? How you be a DM and not have characters of your own to play?” I said, puzzled as I pictured my family gaming around the table, with at least 3 characters each, and the DM having more than any of us.

Paul looked ashamed, but looked at us hopefully. I grinned and pulled out another character sheet. “Roll up your character, and I’ll fit you in when you’re done. Mind being locked up in a cage?”

He looked at me like I was crazy, but he finally laughed and sat down, grabbing the sheet from me and grabbing some dice and books to create someone. I was glad he wanted to play, that meant more fun for me, more players to torture.

“Alright, where were we? Oh yes, it’s manticore number two’s turn.” I said, looking down at my list of the order.

“Wait, how is the gnome still standing after that?” I glanced over at the tiny figure, and grabbed his sheet, scanning it. He had 1 hit point left. I sighed. 

“Alright, well the manticore your owl set on fire is finally out for the count, and that enrages the other, who takes flight in his turn and shoots a hail of spikes down at you guys. Miss, miss, miss, hit, oh crap.” I roll a few dice then look up at Tyler. “How many hit points do you have?”

He glances at his sheet. “Please don’t tell me he hit for eight.”

I groan again. “He hit for nine.” I really didn’t like killing off characters, but it appeared that I was about to do just that. I felt bad, and I wouldn’t make them attack him druid again now that he was already down on the ground.

“Aww hell no!” Tyler yelled again, and knocked his figure over. “Well, I guess that means I’m unconscious and bleeding out. Anyone able to heal me?”

A few more rounds later and the cleric made it to him, able to stabilize him. At least he had the smarts to not stand back up and become a target again.

The gnome was finally killed, we got tired of him living and the strongest person was voted to throw him to the manticore. Of course that would be my giant lizard, and still the manticore kept missing his attacks on him. With a frustrated sigh, I made my my assassin give up on the manticore and sink an arrow into the gnome.

By now the manticore was almost dead, and I was hoping they would kill it off quick, but the druid who had been healed, throws out a spell to create Really thick mist. Great, now he can’t hit them, and they can’t hit him. I made him loose a few more spikes into the mist.

“Miss, miss, miss, miss, miss. Wait, why is the ghoul still out there? I thought I killed him…” I pouted, wondering where I screwed up.

“Oh, sorry. My bad.” K.C. plucked the figure and tossed it back into the bag with the rest. 

“Alright, so this thing is just floating around, you’ve missed all your arrows, and now the mist is wearing off. After trying to dive you guys, he’s only about 10 feet above the ground, and so make a jump check if you’re going to use a melee weapon.”

“Alright, well the ghost hand my necromancer summoned has finally reached where the manticore is.” K.C. rolled a few dice. “I hit.” He rolled a few more. “I did 11 damage to it.”

“Aww come on, kill it already!” I groaned, getting frustrated it was taking so long to kill this thing.

“Alright, we’re trying!” Tyler said, and then rolled his dice. “I missed.”

With a sigh, it was my lizard’s turn, and I rolled to jump, and to hit. I bashed it in the face for 17 damage, and it finally lay dead, and I removed the piece triumphantly. 

“Alright, so when do I come in?” Paul said, making the finishing touches on his sheet.

“The courtyard lies empty, and there is no other way to go but out into the forest you came from, or further into the keep. The nest that the manticores were guarding is empty, so all that for nothing.” I said, going over my notes.

“Well, I guess we’re going in, but first let’s find a sheltered area and rest for a few hours.” Tyler said, hoping his character could rest. 

“Of course.” I roll a few dice. “None of the ogres you saw through the crumbling wall came over to investigate, nor did anything else out here. You get up and get your spells again. Anyway, the front doors are rotting away, almost falling off their hinges. They look more like bark torn off trees to replace the original doors. As you walk inside, there is voices through another set of doors, if anyone knows giant language, they are contemplating if they should investigate what they were hearing earlier. The floor is full of dirt and debris, but tracks the size of people being dragged are coming out from under the closed doors and leading down the stairs to your right. Coming from down the stairs is a rumbling, echoing sound.” I said, reading the words I had written on my papers.

“BODIES! IT MEANS BODIES!” K.C. yells, playing the part of his bat crazy necromancer. “LET’S GO!!!!” In a calmer voice “My necromancer won’t listen to reason and is running down the stairs regardless of what might be down there.” He moves his piece to the stairs I had drawn on the map, and then into the room where they lead. I was trying hard to keep a straight face and run this smoothly, but I was having a hard time believing that he seriously just started screaming, and now people were beginning to look at us funny.

“Well, my druid has no clue what is going on, basically has been swept up by this group on your way here, I feel she doesn’t have any say in what’s going on, but looks to the cleric wondering what’s going on.” Tyler says, hesitantly moving his piece a few more steps towards the door. 

“My cleric shrugs and heads after the necromancer.” K.C. says.

“Well, it’s settled then, my characters also follow down the stairs, and my lizard shoves ahead to grab the necromancer by his robes, preventing him from running off too far. This room you have entered looks like some sort of jail. There are cages along the walls, all are empty except for some dried blood that trails into the drag marks. There are a few cages hanging from the ceiling, and in the furthest one is a gnome.”

“Help! Get me out of here! Wait, you’re not with them are you?” Paul says, placing his figure on the map in the cage I had specified.

“Who’s them? My cleric asks, getting closer to look at the gnome.” K.C. states, moving his piece.

“Uhh, I’m not really sure. I was on the road and then I was here, I have no clue.” Paul says.

“My lizard walks up to the cage, dragging the necromancer behind her. She stands under the cage, looking straight up, and licking her lips. You look tasty she says.” I state, moving pieces around.  
“My gnome squeaks. Please don’t eat me!” Paul says, actually getting excited at our character interaction. He’s new at being a DM, and is observing what we are doing closely.

“My lizard sighs. You’re too small for even a snack. If you’re useful, we’ll use you, if not, we’ll kill you. Hey, lock picker, get over here! She says, and my assassin walks up to her. She picks him up onto her shoulders and he picks the lock, dumping the gnome on them and we all fall.” I say, having fun making a pile with the figures.

“Did any of them land on the arm you’re holding my necromancer with?” K.C. asks, ready to grab his piece and run it into the next room if I say yes. I roll a few dice and shake my head. “Damn.” K.C. says, pouting in his seat. 

“Oh, alright. My gnome says, a little put off with your lizard, and looking over at the necromancer as he gets up. Is he always like that?” Paul asks, and by everyone laughing and grinning, it answered his question.

“Bodies yet?” K.C. asks, putting a hopeful grin on his face. 

“Alright, we all get up and I let the necromancer walk into the other room, not run for I’m still holding onto him. The next room is also empty of life, but the echoing rumbling sound is coming from a huge pit in the corner. The drag marks lead to the pit.”

“My necromancer gets closer to the pit and then crawls on his stomach to look down into it. Bodies?” K.C. says, curious as to what he’s going to find.

“The pit is dark and seemingly endless, the rumbling sound is clearer, and is the sound of a few different roars mixed together.” I state, reading my description.

“My druid takes a rock, casts light on it, and drops it down the hole to see where it goes.” Tyler says, trying to make sense of what’s going on.

“The rock falls probably a hundred feet or so before snakelike heads are seen snapping at the rock, and it is eventually eaten. Roll a knowledge check.” I state.

Dice is rolled and Paul speaks up. “I made it.”

“Alright, you recognize the heads as those belonging to a hydra.” I smile evily.

“I want it! I want its skeleton! When we find it, we gotta be careful when killing it, the skeleton has to stay intact!” K.C. puts a crazed look on his face sending us all into giggles.

“Alright, fine, we’ll be careful, but we aren’t jumping down this pit now. My lizard says and lets go of him, and was disappointed he didn’t fall in. By the way, how loud was your yelling as you’re looking for bodies?” I roll a few dice.

“Uhhh, pretty loud. He wasn’t thinking about anything else but bodies.” K.C. says, and I laugh.

“Well guys, you hear sound from up the stairs, sounds like a few large monsters, and they obviously know you’re here. Roll for initiative!” Ahh yes, being the DM was going to be very fun.


End file.
